February 18, 2010
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will continue its monthly lecture series on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m., in the auditorium of the Delf Norona Museum. The series is being held in conjunction with the Upper Ohio Valley Chapter of the West Virginia Archeological Society. The lectures are free and open to the public.
The February program is entitled Excavations at the Bryan Site (46OH65): An Upland Monongahela Hamlet Site in Ohio County, West Virginia. Jamie Vosvick, West Virginia office manager and supervising archaeologist and Jennifer Carroll, crew chief and lab director, both with the Archaeological Consultants of the Midwest, Inc., will make the presentation. The lecture will focus on the preliminary analysis of the ceramic, lithic (stone/rock), faunal (animal) and botanical artifacts recovered from the site, with brief comparisons to other similar sites in the region.
The Monongahela people were a Late Prehistoric cultural group that lived in small villages approximately 900 - 1630 A.D. They are known to have lived in dome-shaped houses that were grouped in small villages surrounded by a stockade. There is evidence they used the bow and arrow and grew such traditional Native American crops such as sunflowers, corn, beans and squash.
The Bryan Site was excavated as part of a review process mandated by Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The law requires federal agencies to consider cultural resources such as archaeological sites and to consult with State Historic Preservation Officers when issuing permits, including federally mandated mining permits. “This is a prime example of how valuable archaeological data has been saved as part of the Section 106 permitting process,” said Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator at Grave Creek Mound. “It allowed the identification of a valuable resource which provided much information about how the Monongahela people lived just east of Wheeling all those years ago,” she added.
Grave Creek’s cultural facility manager, David E. Rotenizer says, “Grave Creek Mound is pleased to present the lecture series to the public. It provides a great opportunity to learn about archaeology in the Mountain State and Upper Ohio Valley region.”
For more information, contact Keller, at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail her at andrea.k.keller@wv.gov. Indicate in the e-mail if you wish to receive notification of other upcoming activities at the mound.
The lecture series will continue on Thursday, March 25, with Roger B. Wise discussing Some Recently Reported Stone Cairns in West Virginia.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in the New World which ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world built by the Adena people. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound took place in successive stages from 250-150 B.C. and required the movement of 57,000 tons of earth, approximately three million individual basket loads.
Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also has a new wing which houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Curation Facility, as well as a study room for researchers and a library. Contact the complex for information regarding group registration and detailed driving directions. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Access to the mound and gift shop closes 30 minutes before the museum. Visitors should note that during the winter months, access to the mound may be limited due to ice, so they are encouraged to call in advance.
Visitors can also see four traveling exhibits on display, Women of Design: Embassies, Mansions, and Stately Homes–Pat Bibbee and Vivien Woofter; Marble King: the World’s Finest Marbles; Homer Laughlin China Company; and Ladies Fashion Dolls of the Nineteenth Century by Pete Ballard.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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